If you’re a Canadian bookish type (or a non-Canadian who loves our literature) you may know Sarah Selecky. Her short story collection, This Cake Is for the Party, was a finalist for the Giller Prize (a pretty big deal in our neck of the woods) and garnered various other awards and honours. (Read the title story in The Walrus to get a taste of her work.)
If you are a writer who moves in online circles, you may also have heard of Sarah. She is featured in Your Big Beautiful Book Plan from Danielle La Porte and Linda Siversten, which is chockful of resources for creating a book proposal.
And now you have yet another reason to learn about Sarah. Her newest creation is Story is a State of Mind, a one-of-a-kind online course designed for those who want more flow in their writing practice and who also want to learn story craft at a sophisticated level.
I’m excited to be an affiliate for Story is a State of Mind and help spread the word about this program, which combines the best of head and heart in approaching your writing.
So picture this: me in my Penang apartment and Sarah in Hawaii, talking across the oceans about the magnificent mystery of stories, and the choices one makes in life and art to make sure those stories come into being. I found Sarah utterly charming and down-to-earth and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
[audio:http://gresik.ca/interviews/Selecky.mp3]Right-click to download my interview with Sarah Selecky (36 minutes)
Sarah and I talk about:
1:15 ~ How she found her feet as a writer
7:10 ~ Why short fiction is so captivating for her
12:00 ~ The way she responds to stories she reads by writing her own
13:45 ~ Her venture into painting and why she had to stop
19:05 ~ The effects of writing for publication and the importance of taking risks
20:40 ~ How she rebalances life after each project to support her writing
26:00 ~ More about Story is a State of Mind and how it brings a soulful approach to literary craft
I’m happy to be an affiliate for Story is a State of Mind because I can see it’s meeting a deep need that writers have: to create freely enough that they can get really good.
So many writers stop themselves because they have super-high standards.
Sarah’s program acknowledges your desire to write high-quality stories like the ones she includes in the Readings, and she shows you how to gently bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
And because I want to make it even more tempting for you to give yourself this sweet experience of guided writing, I’m including a bonus.
If you purchase Story is a State of Mind using my affiliate link, you’ll also get an hour of one-on-one coaching with me ($125 value). Use it to explore life design or the writing process or whatever comes up in your creative life.
Watch for my full review of Story is a State of Mind, when I’ll give you many more details about the course.
Thanks again to Sarah for joining me. What did you hear in our talk that really struck a chord?
{ 5 comments… add one }